hedonism

English

WOTD – 2 September 2006

Etymology

First attested 1856: from Ancient Greek ἡδονή (hēdonḗ, “pleasure”) +‎ -ism.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: hĕdənĭzəm, IPA^(key): /ˈhɛdənɪzəm/
• (General American) enPR: hēdənĭzəm, IPA^(key): /ˈhiːdənɪzəm/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: he‧don‧ism

Noun

hedonism (usually uncountable, plural hedonisms)

1. (ethics, uncountable) The philosophical belief that happiness, particularly sensual pleasure, is the highest good in life.
2. (countable) A general devotion to the pursuit of pleasure.

Synonyms

• Cyrenaicism

Antonyms

• asceticism

Hypernyms

• selfishness

Hyponyms

• Epicureanism (advocating mental pleasures & a need for most typical virtues to avoid pain)

Derived terms

• psychological hedonism

Related terms

• hedonic
• hedonics
• hedonist
• hedonistic
• hedonistically

Translations

philosophy

• Arabic: مَذْهَب اَللِّذَّة m (maḏhab al-liḏḏa)
• Asturian: hedonismu m
• Belarusian: гедані́зм m (hjedanízm)
• Catalan: hedonisme (ca) m
• Cebuano: hedonismo
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 享樂主義／享乐主义 (zh) (xiǎnglèzhǔyì)

• Czech: hédonismus (cs) m, hedonismus (cs) m
• Danish: hedonisme (da) c
• Dutch: hedonisme (nl) n, genotzucht (nl) f or m, epicurisme (nl) n
• Esperanto: hedonismo
• Estonian: hedonism (et)
• Finnish: hedonismi (fi)
• French: hédonisme (fr) m
• Galician: hedonismo m
• Georgian: ჰედონიზმი (ka) (hedonizmi)
• German: Hedonismus (de) m
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: ἡδονισμός m (hēdonismós)

• Hebrew: הֶדוֹנִיזְם (he) m (hedonism)
• Hungarian: hedonizmus (hu)
• Icelandic: hedónismi m
• Irish: héadónachas m
• Italian: edonismo (it) m
• Japanese: 快楽主義 (ja) (かいらくしゅぎ, kairakushugi)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: zewqyarî f, hedonîzm f

• Latin: hēdonismus m
• Polish: hedonizm (pl) m
• Portuguese: hedonismo (pt) m
• Romanian: hedonism (ro) n
• Russian: гедони́зм (ru) m (gedonízm)
• Serbo-Croatian: хедонизам m, hedonizam (sh) m
• Spanish: hedonismo (es) m
• Swedish: hedonism (sv) c
• Turkish: hedonizm (tr), hazcılık (tr)
• Ukrainian: гедоні́зм m (hedonízm)

devotion to the pursuit of pleasure

• Cebuano: hedonismo
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 享樂主義／享乐主义 (zh) (xiǎnglèzhǔyì)

• Finnish: hedonismi (fi)
• German: Genußsucht (de) f, Genusssucht (de) f
• Hungarian: hedonizmus (hu)

See also

• debauchery

Further reading

• “hedonism”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “hedonism”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• demonish, monished, Sondheim

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French hédonisme.

Noun

hedonism n (uncountable)

1. hedonism

Declension

singular only	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	hedonism	hedonismul
genitive-dative	hedonism	hedonismului
vocative	hedonismule

Swedish

Noun

hedonism c

1. hedonism (philosophically or more generally)

Declension

Declension of hedonism

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	hedonism	hedonisms
	definite	hedonismen	hedonismens
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

Related terms

• hedonist (“hedonist”)
• hedonistisk (“hedonistic”)

See also

• epikurism (“Epicureanism”)
• eudemonism (“eudaemonism”)

References

• hedonism in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• hedonism in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• hedonism in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)